Android, Nokia smartphone security toppled by Near Field Communication hack

Source: arsTechnica - Posted byDave Wreski

A new technology being added to smartphones running the Google Android and Linux-based MeeGo operating systems makes it trivial for hackers to electronically hijack handsets that are in close proximity, a researcher appearing at the Black Hat security conference said.
By exploiting multiple security weakness in the industry standard known as Near Field Communication, smartphone hacker Charlie Miller can take control of handsets made by Samsung and Nokia. The attack works by putting the phone a few centimeters away from a quarter-sized chip, or touching it to another NFC-enabled phone. Code on the attacker-controlled chip or handset is beamed to the target phone over the air, then opens malicious files or webpages that exploit known vulnerabilities in a document reader or browser, or in some cases in the operating system itself.